Before you tell us Boyd County High School’s All Bryant (yes, All is his given name) doesn’t look much like a football player, let us remind you mild mannered reporter, Clark Kent, didn’t look much like Superman dressed in his reporter’s attire working down at the Daily Planet in the fictional town of Metropolis. However when he went into a phone booth and took off his glasses…it was a whole other story!
If you will compare the featured photograph attached to this article with the picture of Bryant with the cheerleader to the below right, you will see it appears Bryant takes off the glasses. At least he does when playing on Friday night.
For all we know his football gear may be covering a cape. For all we know he may be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Regardless of superficialities (by the way we think All Bryant, a ’23 who is 6-0 tall, weighs 185-pounds, and wears number 17, looks plenty like a football player to us), there is a lot more which goes into making a player than just one’s looks. An all-conference player at a small Kentucky college just reminded us of that very thing.
We attended a college banquet about three (3) weeks ago. An outgoing senior, also an all-conference DE, addressed the assemblage. This past season was his senior year. He was entitled to address us, so he did.
He talked of playing on the ’18 conference championship team when a freshman. He proudly wore a championship ring from that season and showed it off regularly and rightfully.
He told the crowd, “I was a freshman, on the scout team, and my only game action was on PAT where I was charged to take two steps backward and fall down slowly. Still, I did what was asked of me to the very best of my ability. I made the team better every day in practice.”
“I pushed my teammates to improve. I worked hard in the weight room and at practice and held my teammates accountable every day throughout the year,” he continued. “I proudly wear this conference championship ring; feeling as much a part that team as any team on which I played while in this program,” he told us.
Now, the outgoing senior was captain of the ’21 team. He not only started, but played every meaningful defensive snap.
This college star player set a fine example. There is more to contributing to a team, and a program, then showing up on game day.
This guy’s words struck a cord with all of us gathered. Every listener knew the speaker couldn’t have been more correct.
If you look at Bryant’s statistics, his contributions appear meager. However, what he contributed in the seven games in which he played, under the Friday night lights, is not all that All contributed.
He worked hard in practice. He trained hard, getting his bench press north of 200 and his squat north of the same threshold.
He gave the team a look in practice everyday, whether it was at WR or on defense playing corner. Besides that, Bryant’s 3.7 GPA insures Bryant can pretty much go wherever he wants.
The sum total of any football player is more than just his statistics. Sometimes the most unassuming of veneers can be covering a super heroic and hidden effort underneath. You never know the full measure of any man until you have seen him give his All.
We feel we will get to see Bryant give his All in the Fall. The Lions will prove much the richer for it.
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
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